MineralMan: "men of color, delivered a gas kitchen range to my house yesterday"

[dutch508]

Star Member MineralMan (137,941 posts)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215459817

I guess I was not clear enough in my previous post.

Online merchants like Amazon, Home Depot, and lesser known ones like Wayfair get a lot of flack here from some for being too "corporate" and somehow hurting local businesses.

And yet, two local workers, men of color, delivered a gas kitchen range to my house yesterday, from a local warehouse, where it was shipped from a distribution center staffed by local workers wherever that center is located.

On Tuesday, a local plumber will come to my house and install it. He's a local person and worker, too.

I got calls from the local delivery service, notifying me of the delivery time. Another local worker on the job.

All jobs are local somewhere. People are earning wages, just like those at a local appliance store that charges 33% more for the identical gas range. That local appliance store is a corporation, too, or maybe a corporate franchise.

As a lifelong Democrat, I support local workers everywhere, not just where I happen to live.

Who made the stove?

Star Member MineralMan (137,941 posts)

5. And yet, Amazon has a distribution center near where I live.

It employs hundreds of local people, all earning at least $17 per hour. What about that is a bad thing? See, it's one thing to cry out against corporations, but they employ huge numbers of people, all across this country. What about that? People need jobs that pay a living wage. Amazon has jobs. Best Buy has jobs. Home depot has jobs. Most of those jobs offer better pay than local businesses.

I support workers and their needs.

 

Star Member MineralMan (137,941 posts)

8. Further, Amazon distribution centers also have middle managers,

along with IT workers. All are locals. What about that?

 

Star Member padfun (1,269 posts)

6. If you really think about it...

MineralMan got everything done and used local workers for much of it, while other local workers did the point of origin stuff.

And NO middle managers were there to suck up someone's money (who should pay them?).

Or if there were a few middle managers in the string, then they actually were in a position that was needed.

For 40 years I worked and saw Middle managers just destroy workers lives, and give orders, many time to the detriment of the task at hand. When they were absent, we got more work done without them in the way.

Yes, I have a thing against wasted middle management positions of which the workforce has decided to flood companies with.

 

Star Member OAITW r.2.0 (9,118 posts)

12. I was in my "local" Home Depot yesterday, ready to drop a pretty good sized order

for a battery riding mower, trailer, woodchipper, field mower, and scaffolding. I wanted to order through the store, get the entire order staged and delivered to my place 50 miles away. No dice. Had to do it online. I spoke with the store manager, but they really didn't want to handle it....suggested I do it online. You'd think that they'd want the sales credit, but apparently not worth the aggravation.

Star Member HUAJIAO (873 posts)

17. Why do you think people suddenly stop shopping at small businesses?


Considering MM's original post ir is an interesting discussion.

In my own small city/town of about 22,000, after Walmart and Lowes arrived, the businesses that I can thik of that went out of business were--

1- grocery store(we still have one great one left)
2 shoe stores
2-3 clothing stores
1-hardware store
1- computer store

I think a few more.

I honestly can not say for sure that the big box stores that moved in drove the others out, but it sure seems to be a pattern, here and elsewhere....

Star Member MineralMan (137,941 posts)

31. It's also the economy of scale.

Price out a major appliance at a mom an pop appliance store, if you can find one. Then, check prices at the big box stores. The difference is striking. Price them online, as well, including delivery and set-up.

If it's your money you're spending, you'll probably go with the big box store. Almost always. You can see the difference in your checkbook or credit card statement.

That's the real reason local retail businesses can't compete. They can't buy the railcar loads of some model of appliance like the big box stores do. The local appliance store doesn't have the appliance you want in stock, anyhow. They can't afford to buy products on spec.

They also can't afford fancy shopping cart websites, either. Or they won't pay for those.

I work with a heating and air conditioning company on their websites. I have been doing so for years. They stock nothing. When they have an order, they pick up the product at a local warehouse, add their profit margin, and install it for their customer. The company I work with has a small staff of technicians on the payroll. A small staff. Most of their installations, though, are done by temporary contract technicians. They cannot afford to staff for peak sales, so they don't. They're one of dozens of smaller HVAC companies in our metro area.

Check Home Depot or Lowe's for something like ductless mini-split AC systems, and then ask for a quote from a local HVAC company. You'll be shocked by the difference in price between the two prices for the actual equipment. The big box store will arrange for installation by the same bunch of temporary technicians the local HVAC companies use during peak periods. They're on rotation at the big box stores, and get called in order of that rotation. Same technicians; same products. The only difference, really, is service after the sale. The big box stores suck at that. On price, though, local HVAC companies can't compete, to the economies of scale for the actual products.

Star Member aggiesal (6,075 posts)

22. Yet nobody has responded with the word MONOPOLY ...

Amazon, Walmart and ..., will eventually own all the businesses and guess what?
They'll be able to set whatever price they can get with no competition.
This is exactly how monopolies are created.

First, they set prices so low that you can't ignore purchasing from them.
Second, once they have control, they can raise the prices as high as they want,
since there is no competition.
Third, all that local money doesn't stay local, it heads to corporate headquarters.
Fourth, those local workers, will shop at these monopolies as well and of course
their money will head out of town as well.

I do not shop at Walmart or Amazon.

 

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

padfun (1,269 posts)

6. If you really think about it...

MineralMan got everything done and used local workers for much of it, while other local workers did the point of origin stuff.

And NO middle managers were there to suck up someone's money (who should pay them?).

What about bureaucrats? Shouldn't there be a commission to determine if the replacement stove is needed, the new one is adequate, and the repairs to the overall structure meet some code?

Cuz that's what small business owners have to go through.

[DLR Pyro]

Who made the stove?

hopefully men of color

[SVPete]

Star Moron MineralMan (137,941 posts)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215459817

I guess I was not clear enough in my previous post. 1

Online merchants like Amazon, Home Depot, and lesser known ones like Wayfair get a lot of flack 2 here from some for being too "corporate" and somehow hurting local businesses.

And yet, two local workers, men of color 3, delivered a gas kitchen range to my house yesterday, from a local warehouse, where it was shipped from a distribution center staffed by local workers wherever that center is located. 4

1 Ruh-rog Raggy! Did MM fail a Prog Shibboleths test?

2 Gotta love that DUmmie Spilling!

3 Why does the color of their skin matter? Did having POC delivery people somehow ennoble MM's chef-grade gas range?  

4 I was going to snark about that kind of distribution model being common knowledge, but then I remembered he was addressing DUmmies. Then again, show-room style stores might be scarce in Minneapolis, post race riot.

[Ralph Wiggum]

And yet, two local workers, men of color

And it matters what color they were because....???

Gratuitous pandering to make his old self sound perfectly woke.

[BamaMoose]

1 Ruh-rog Raggy! Did MM fail a Prog Shibboleths test?

<snip>

He posted his typical rambling diatribe outlining the most mundane details of getting an appliance delivered.

MineralMan (137,945 posts)

So, What Happens When A Large Appliance You Ordered Online

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Omaha Steve (a host of the General Discussion forum).
arrives at your home? I was wondering that, ever since I ordered a new gas range from Wayfair. Shipping, with delivery to the desired room in your house is free. So, yesterday, the range was scheduled for delivery. I got a phone call the day before from whoever was delivering the range, telling me a time frame for delivery. Half an hour before the delivery, I got a call from the truck driver that it was almost there.

The shipping also included removal of the old unit at an extra charge, which was not a surprise. It didn't include installation, so I paid for that, too. A plumber will come on Tuesday, if the schedule is correct, to actually install it. I don't like working with natural gas appliances, frankly.

The truck pulled up in front of the house and two guys jumped out. I came outside to greet them. One of them unboxed the new range and lowered it onto the street in front of my driveway. While he was doing that, the other guy came in the house, pulled the range away from the wall, disconnected the gas line and electrical cord, and put the loose burner grates in the oven. He checked to make sure the shutoff valve wasn't leaking any gas, as well.

Next the other guy joined him, and they used those nifty shoulder lifting straps to pick up the range and took it outside, as I held the storm door open. Down to the truck it went, where they put it on the lift gate. Then, they picked up the new range with the straps and brought it in, where they set it out of the way so I could clean the floor under the old stove. Wow! That was nasty under there, after years of sitting in that spot. Took me almost an hour to make it look like new again. (I recommend Formula 409 and lots and lots of paper towels for that job. A ScotchBrite sponge also helps.)

Then, they loaded the box and packing materials in the truck, along with the old range, and they were gone. They were there for about 20 minutes. Polite and efficient, too.

Now I don't worry about such orders. Those "final mile" delivery people seem to have it worked out pretty well.

And our good buddy Steve stomped on it.

Omaha Steve (79,836 posts)

64. After a review by forum hosts....LOCKING

In response to an alert. There is nothing in this OP that fits the SOP for GD. Can be posted in the Lounge.

Discuss politics, issues, and current events. Posts about Israel/Palestine, religion, guns, showbiz, or sports are restricted in this forum.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215458252

Steve is really enjoying the tiny bit of authority he gets as a Moderator over there.  Probably way more power than he ever had in his illustrious career at the sewage plant.  Interesting that he's been given such a dominant position on DU, since he was considered persona non grata after he left DU to join the Bernie lovefest at JPR.  Guess he groveled (and donated) sufficiently to get back in Skinner and Elad's good graces.

[67 Rover]

Since there was no bragging to the other DUmmies about the new house I am assuming his offer was rejected?

E

[franksolich]

Steve is really enjoying the tiny bit of authority he gets as a Moderator over there.  Probably way more power than he ever had in his illustrious career at the sewage plant.  Interesting that he's been given such a dominant position on DU, since he was considered persona non grata after he left DU to join the Bernie lovefest at JPR.  Guess he groveled (and donated) sufficiently to get back in Skinner and Elad's good graces.

Given the rate of the big guy's developing senility beginning some years ago, I doubt this is the real Omaha Steve.  I think this is someone else masquerading as him, either his wife (widow) poor dear Marta, or someone on EarlG Lord Marblehead's payroll.

[Delmar]

He posted his typical rambling diatribe outlining the most mundane details of getting an appliance delivered.

Two long rambling OPs filled with mundane details about getting an appliance delivered.

Maybe we'll get another post detailing how he got the gas connected, the stove leveled, the anti-tip bracket installed, and the oven temperature calibrated.

[BamaMoose]

Two long rambling OPs filled with mundane details about getting an appliance delivered.

Maybe we'll get another post detailing how he got the gas connected, the stove leveled, the anti-tip bracket installed, and the oven temperature calibrated.

MineralMan (137,952 posts)

What if you need a roll-off dumpster? Do you want to use a local company?

 Do you call around to the local companies that offer them and those services? Or, do you go online to a national company that accepts orders for such dumpsters? If you go online, are you hurting local businesses? Is it wrong to do that?

Well, I've done it both ways. Here's what I have found, and what I did today.

The first time I needed a roll-off dumpster to do a clean-out at my home, I called four different local companies. They all quoted me different prices, but none of them had the size of dumpster I wanted for the day I wanted it delivered. It was difficult to get an actual price quote from the local companies, too. There were over a dozen companies in my area, but I gave up after four calls. I had spent a couple of hours on the phone, trying to arrange something.

So, I called a national roll-off dumpster company. In five minutes, I had a price quote for exactly the dumpster I wanted, on the date I wanted it, so I booked it and paid in advance, using a credit card. I had a confirmation email immediately, with instructions for delivery day, a list of prohibited items, and rules for filling the dumpster. All in the email.

So, who showed up at my driveway? One of the companies I had called first. Apparently, they DID have the dumpster in the size I needed on the date I needed it, despite them not being able to promise that when I called them. The truck driver did a great job of placing it on my driveway, leaving plenty of room for the door on the dumpster to open, as well.

See, here's the thing: All roll-off dumpster companies are local businesses. That national company just serves to coordinate with local companies to find and schedule those services. I got a fixed price, which no doubt includes a profit for the national company, and did not have to search for and find a company that could promise what I needed on the day I needed it.

Now, I did not get to pick the company that actually provided the roll-off dumpster services. I tried to do that, and failed. But, a local business got the job and got paid for the job.

I did the same thing about 18 months ago. A different company delivered a roll-off dumpster that time. A different driver carefully placed it in my driveway. When I notified the national company the day before it got picked up, it was picked up right on schedule.

This morning, I ordered another 20 cubic yard dumpster, since we're getting ready to move. I called the same national company, which had the records from my other two orders. Arranging for the dumpster took less than five minutes. Which local company will deliver it? I have no idea. I don't really care.

Does anyone think those local companies care? They don't. They like that arrangement with the national company taking orders for them. Do customers care? They do not. They just want a dumpster in their driveway and for it to be hauled away when it's full.

I won't name the national company. It will show up if you search for roll-off dumpsters in your area. I suggest that you schedule your service through them. It will save you plenty of time and you'll still be patronizing a local company, with local employees and a local business owner.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215460955

Apparently, today's long boring diatribe is about garbage removal.  I can't help but hear Grampa Simpson's voice when I read his posts.

[SVPete]

Omaha Steve (79,836 posts)

64. After a review by forum hosts....LOCKING

In response to an alert. There is nothing in this OP that fits the SOP for GD. Can be posted in the Lounge.

DU Mods can't Move threads to more appropriate forums, as Mods can do in SMF? Or is Omaha Steve just too bleeping lazy?

[franksolich]

DU Mods can't Move threads to more appropriate forums, as Mods can do in SMF? Or is Omaha Steve just too bleeping lazy?

Primitives tend to view their self-created threads in the same way most of us view the original sheepskin documents of the Magna Carta or Declaration of Independence, too valuable and too important to be messed with. 

I haven't seen it lately, but there was a time when the primitives raised a ruckus over having one of their precious threads moved.

[Ralph Wiggum]

He posted his typical rambling diatribe outlining the most mundane details of getting an appliance delivered.

And our good buddy Steve stomped on it.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215458252

Steve is really enjoying the tiny bit of authority he gets as a Moderator over there.  Probably way more power than he ever had in his illustrious career at the sewage plant.  Interesting that he's been given such a dominant position on DU, since he was considered persona non grata after he left DU to join the Bernie lovefest at JPR.  Guess he groveled (and donated) sufficiently to get back in Skinner and Elad's good graces.

After finishing 9th in a 4 person race for Bellevue, Nebraska City Council, Steve or Marta just clings onto power as a insignificant moderator at a moonbat liberal insane asylum.  When he ever does pass away, his obit will probably say that he proudly served as a DUmp moderator.

[USA4ME]

What I got from that was that Rockhead finally met some colored men and that he viewed them as being marginally qualified to deliver an appliance that was ordered via a multi-national corp who lords it over local workers.

And he's OK with that.

.

[Zathras]

DU Mods can't Move threads to more appropriate forums, as Mods can do in SMF? Or is Omaha Steve just too bleeping lazy?

Give OS a break. Remember, it's hard to do even the easiest of tasks when you're dying. It cuts into the time you have left to enjoy the mini tacos you love so much.

[Muddling 2]

I wonder if he asked them to sing "Camptown Races" before they departed?

 

[DLR Pyro]

I wonder if he asked them to sing "Camptown Races" before they departed?

 

Sorry, I couldn't resist
https://youtu.be/0H2W1lK7P-I

[Ralph Wiggum]

I wonder if he asked them to sing "Camptown Races" before they departed?

 

 

[Ralph Wiggum]

Sorry, I couldn't resist
https://youtu.be/0H2W1lK7P-I

How did I know you would post that clip before I even clicked the link?

[DLR Pyro]

How did I know you would post that clip before I even clicked the link?

Great minds...you know the rest

[Ralph Wiggum]

Great minds...you know the rest

Been about a year since I've watched my DVD of that classic.  Might be a good late evening to re-watch, ya' bunch of Kansas City f*ggots!!!

[ABC-2]

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215460955

Apparently, today's long boring diatribe is about garbage removal.  I can't help but hear Grampa Simpson's voice when I read his posts.

Thanks BamaMoose for summing up his post ...

As I have an aversion to reading overly long diatribes such as his. (Yawn!) 

[ABC-2]

I wonder if he asked them to sing "Camptown Races" before they departed?

 

Oh Mercy!  You are so bad!   

Not to mention, witty as well!

[DUmpsterDiver]

Masked man Moses says:  I guess I was not clear enough in my previous post.

Your clarity is darker than your racist pandering fool.   A part time slave owner you sure are and your JustUs mentality shines like the black and dull rock of mecca.  Unhike that pissy leg comrade! 

[enslaved1]

Sorry, I couldn't resist
https://youtu.be/0H2W1lK7P-I

I thought of this one, myself   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAESlpT4yvg